Asadgad (Akola Fort) (Akola)

India / Maharashtra / Akola
Fort of Akola
In its earliest form of mud made by one Akol Singh to protect the village . He saw a hare chasing a dog and considering this to be an auspicious sign, he built an earthen wall here to protect the village. Akola was fortified majorly in 1697 CE during the reign of Aurangzeb by Asad Khan,from whom the fort took its name (Asadgad). In 1803, Arthur Wellesley camped here before proceeding to win the Battle of Argaon in the Second Anglo-Maratha War. The fortress was dismantled by the British Raj in about 1870. It was reported in 1910 in a district gazetteer that the central part of the fort (the hawakhana) was used as a school.

Akola fort is also called Asadgad Fort or Asagad Fort. It is one of the earliest mud fort. It was made by one Akol Singh . It was later during 1697 CE the reign of Aurangzeb by Asad Khan,Hence the alternate present name . There are Two approaches to the fort, 1st . An East West stair case running along the northern wall of the fort . 2nd . A properly constructed approach path & stair case running North to South through residential area.Local residents are using this well constructed path for tethering of domestic animals .The stench of cow and buffalo dung and urine is overwhelming . The path is also used for parking of auto rickshaws etc. Both the approaches are extremely filthy and odorous . Almost puts you off from going any further . Condition of the fort it self is very bad and pathetic . Sheed Smarak , fountain etc built some time in the past are also badly neglected . Apathy of local administration is regretful. If things don't improve no one will ever visit this place . A historical monument will be lost forever.
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akola_Fort
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Coordinates:   20°42'22"N   76°59'24"E

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  • Akola is a district in Maharashtra, located in central India. Area 5,431 km²., population 1,630,239 (2001 census). It is bounded on the north by Amravati District, to the east by Amravati District and by Washim District, to the south by Washim District, and to the west by Buldhana District. Washim was earlier a part of Akola. The district is 38.49% urban as of 2001. The district of Akola comprise of talukas namely Akot, Telhara, Akola, Balapur, Patur, Barshitakli and Murtajapur. ************************* State - District(s) Maharashtra - Akola Coordinates 20.42° N 77.02° E Area - Elevation 543.1 km² - 283 m Time zone IST ([[UTC+5:30]]) Population (2001) - Density 1,629,305 - 3487/km² Mayor NA Codes - Postal : 444 00x - Telephone : +0724 - Vehicle : MH 30
  • Akola Fort - A part of History preserved. Akola District along with the rest of the Berar province, was part of the legendary kingdom of Vidarbha mentioned in the Mahabharata. Berar also formed part of the Mauryan Empire during the reign of Asoka (272 to 231 BCE). Berar later came under the rule of the Satavahana dynasty (2nd century BCE–2nd century CE), the Vakataka dynasty (3rd to 6th centuries), the Chalukya dynasty (6th to 8th centuries), the Rashtrakuta dynasty (8th to 10th centuries), the Chalukyas again (10th to 12th centuries) and finally the Yadava dynasty of Devagiri (late 12th to early 14th centuries). A period of Muslim rule began when Ala ud din Khilji, Sultan of Delhi, conquered the region in the early 14th century. The region was part of the Bahmani Sultanate, which broke away from the Delhi Sultanate in the mid-14th century. The Bahmani Sultanate broke up into smaller sultanates at the end of the 15th century, and in 1572 Berar became part of the Nizam Shahi sultanate, based at Ahmednagar. The Nizam Shahis ceded Berar to the Mughal Empire in 1595. The Mughals ruled the Berar province during 17th century. As Mughal rule started to unravel at the start of the 18th century, Asaf Jah I, Nizam of Hyderabad seized the southern provinces of the empire (including Berar) in 1724, forming an independent state.
This article was last modified 11 years ago